Welcome to the holiday season, which seems to come faster each year! I know many of us have witnessed or experienced events this year that prompted us to stop and count our blessings. I wanted to express my gratitude to you for your trust throughout the year as we work together to realize your important goals.

While this past quarter has seen quite a bit of volatility from Mother Nature across the country, the financial markets were relatively calm. The third quarter was an overall positive one for markets in general, with the S&P 500 gaining 4.5% and International returns even stronger. This quick turnaround in International returns reinforces why I encourage you to stay invested (and diversified) regardless of whether markets are up or down. I firmly believe that your ability to reach your goals is much more dependent upon staying focused and invested than anything markets may be doing.

Investors who bought the S&P 500 at the market peak in 2007 lost nearly half of their investment during the Great Recession. But if they kept a long-term perspective and weathered the storm they just about doubled their money with the S&P 500’s cumulative gain of 98 percent over the past 10 years.

Last quarter’s video updates examine various performance data in both domestic and international markets, ways to improve investing behavior and some guidelines for us to use in our next review meeting.

This time of year, many of us reach out to our favorite charities for our end-of-the-year donations. Here are several smart recommendations to optimize your gifts so your philanthropic investment can make a bigger impact.

*Past performance does not guarantee future results. Diversification neither assures a profit nor guarantees against loss in a declining market.